Leonardo DiCaprio plans to play former President Theodore Roosevelt for his next film role.

The Wolf of Wall Street actor is pushing for a biopic of the 26th leader of the US to go into production with director Martin Scorsese at the helm. "Leo is telling friends that after his latest movie proved to be a massive box office hit, he's pushing forward with his biopic of Roosevelt which will re-team him with Martin Scorsese. He says it's 'now or never' as he's patiently waited almost a decade for the money to materialize," a source said.

Leonardo will likely have to bulk out to play the strapping president - who was in office from1901 to 1909 - but the source says he's up for the challenge. "He'll do whatever it takes. This is the movie Leo wants to win an Oscar for, and he talks about it all the time," the insider said.

The movie will be based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, but some in Leonardo's camp are worried about the appeal of a political movie, after his last real life historical piece, 2011's J. Edgar - about famed former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover - was a flop.

The Irish rockers will take to the stage to perform their track "Ordinary Love," which is nominated for best Original Song, at the ceremony at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 2. Confirming the news on Wednesday, the event's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said it will be the first time the band perform the song, which was written especially for the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom soundtrack, live.

Members Bono, Larry Mullen, Adam Clayton and The Edge, who are currently in the studio working on their new album, face stiff competition in the Original Song category from Pharrell Williams for his hit "Happy" from Despicable Me 2, "Let It Go" from Frozen, and "The Moon Song" by Karen O, who is the vocalist for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, from the movie Her.

Advertisement

Lupita Nyong'o says Ralph Fiennes' advice inspired her to become an actress.

The 30-year-old star has been catapulted into the limelight with various awards and nominations for her performance in 12 Years a Slave but admits she hadn't fully committed to a career in acting until she met Ralph while working as a production assistant on his film The Constant Gardener. "He asked me what I wanted to do with my life, and I very timidly admitted that I was interested in being an actor. He sighed and said, 'If there's something else that you want to do, do that. Only act if you feel you can't live without it.' It wasn't what I wanted to hear, but it was the thing I needed to hear," she said.

The 41-year-old actor was nominated for the Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture prize for his portrayal of the late South African President Nelson Mandela in biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, ultimately losing out to Matthew McConaughey, who won the gong for his portrayal of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club.

Speaking at the launch of the new adidas Stan Smith trainer at The Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch, east London, last night, he exclusively told BANG Showbiz, "It's a difficult one because we all deserve an award for our performances."

However, Idris - who was also up against Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tom Hanks and Robert Redford - did have some comfort in the fact he was accompanied by his pregnant girlfriend Naiyana Garth at the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and the brunette beauty was positively glowing as they walked down the red carpet. "She looked amazing on the red carpet, as she does all the time!" he added.

The star thoroughly researched his role as the South African civil rights activist and former president - who was imprisoned between 1962 and 1990 for his beliefs - and says his acting was helped by understanding the gravitas he is held in:

"I was more of a journalist than an actor when I first got the role [as Mandela]. I didn't know as much as I'd like to about him, there is so much to learn. Especially about his aura, about the way people feel about him because you can't really act that. You just have to have some understanding of it, so that's what I did. The pressure of taking on someone that everyone knows is insurmountable - ultimately you've got to own it yourself. I don't look like Mandela so I have to ask the audience to come along on a journey and say this is my interpretation."

Gravity had a nice three weeks at number one, but the critically-acclaimed space film starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock was apparently no match for the latest Jackass film, Bad Grandpa.

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa - which sees veteran Jackass-er Johnny Knoxville as the eponymous patriarch - debuted at number one this weekend with $32 million, which effectively left Gravity in the dust with its $20.1 million, which secured it a second place spot. Captain Phillips dropped one spot to number three with $11.6 million while the much-hyped The Counselor debuted at number four with $7.8 million. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 remained at number five with $6.2 million.

While Halloween might be only a week away from Thursday, movie-goers this weekend opted for the space film Gravity over the remake of Carrie and the sequel to Insidious, helping it maintain its top spot at the box office for the third consecutive week in a row.

The Sandra Bullock and George Clooney sci-fi thriller took in $30 million, staying ahead of Captain Phillips, which placed second with $16.4 million. Carrie (2013) and Escape Plan debuted respectively at number three and four with $16.1 million and $9.8 million. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 came in at number five - dropping two spots from last week - with $9.6 million.

Advertisement

The list of actresses rumored to be in the running to portray Senator Hillary Clinton in Rodham has just been shortened by one.

When answering questions at a press conference for the charity event Sound of Change in London last night, Jessica Chastain made it clear that she is not being considered for the role. "No, that's actually not true. I found out about the project online, but, yeah, there's a lot of stuff out there," she said.

Reese Witherspoon, Amanda Seyfried, and Scarlett Johansson are among the other actresses believed to be in the competition for the coveted role. The Spectacular Now director James Ponsoldt will helm the biopic and has already spoken generously about the actresses in the running: “They’re all wonderful actresses. We’re very fortunate that a lot of really great actors are interested in playing these roles. We’re in an enviable position.”

Rodham will focus on Clinton's early days in Arkansas during the Watergate scandal.

Though the latest installment in the Bruce Willis-fronted Die Hard series debuted at number one this weekend with $25 million, it barely made more than the runner-up (and last week's number one film) Identity Thief, which took in $23.4 million. The Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough romantic vehicle Safe Haven opened to the number three spot with $21.4 million. The animated film Escape from Planet Earth was also a newcomer this weekend, earning $16 million to secure its place at number four while Warm Bodies slipped three spots to number five with $9 million.

Rom-com zombie films are apparently no match for Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman.

The pair's Identity Thief generated enough laughs to help the film debut at number one at the box office this past weekend with $34.5 million, bumping Warm Bodies down to number two with $11.3 million. Steven Soderbergh's latest film Side Effects debuted with $9.3 million while Silver Linings Playbook followed with $6.4 million. Lastly, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters fell three spots to number five with $5.7 million.